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Tattenham Corner: <b>Horse</b> <b>racing</b> diary

Posted: 04 Apr 2010 02:47 AM PDT

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<b>Horse</b> <b>Racing</b> Capsules: Eskendereya blows away field to win Wood Memorial

Posted: 04 Apr 2010 12:01 AM PDT

NEW YORK — And your likely Kentucky Derby favorite is ... Eskendereya, the overpowering winner of the $750,000 Wood Memorial.

Drawing away from a strong field in the stretch, Eskendereya pulled off a second straight blowout in a major Derby prep Saturday to state his case as the horse to beat on the first Saturday in May.

And that would be fine with Todd Pletcher, the trainer who has won just about every race you can think of but is 0 for 24 in the Derby.

"It would be big to win the Derby," Pletcher said. "We'll try to make it happen. We'll do the best we can."

Eskendereya looks like Pletcher's best shot to end his Derby drought, but the trainer could have as many as seven other 3-year-olds by the time an expected full field of 20 horses enter the starting gate at Churchill Downs.

Eskendereya, though, is the clear standout. And after fellow Derby top contender Lookin At Lucky finished third in the Santa Anita Derby about 30 minutes later, there's little argument as to who's the No. 1 choice for the Derby.

Pletcher couldn't hide a huge smile as he stood on the track and congratulated his assistant, Jonathan Thomas, before accepting handshakes from a large group in the winner's circle.

"It's amazing," he said. "The further he goes, the stronger he gets. He's a horse that has natural stamina."

Ridden by John Velazquez, 1-2 favorite Eskendereya stormed into the lead and won by 9¾ lengths over Jackson Bend. The margin of victory in the 1 1-8-mile Wood topped Eskendereya's 8½-length win in the Fountain of Youth Stakes on Feb. 20 in his last start.

The Derby on May 1 is 1¼ miles and appears to be a perfect fit for Eskendereya, a chestnut son of Giant's Causeway.

Owned by Ahmed Zayat, Eskendereya picked up $450,000 and boosted his graded stakes earnings to $600,000, more than enough to qualify for the Derby that has a 20-horse limit.

Zayat, who has filed for bankruptcy after a bank said he defaulted on $34 million in loans, was not at the race.

Jackson Bend, trained by two-time Derby winner Nick Zito, earned $150,000 for second to move to $230,000, likely enough to make the Derby field. That would give Zito two Derby starters — Florida Derby winner Ice Box is the other.

Eskendereya raced comfortably in third behind Most Happy Fella and Jackson Bend. By the time the field hit the final turn, Eskendereya was taking control as Velazquez eased the colt to the outside. From there, he was home free.

"He was just galloping," Velazquez said. "It was a good feeling."

Awesome Act was third, followed by Schoolyard Dreams, Carnivore and Most Happy Fella.

The winning time was 1:49.97. Eskendereya returned $3, $2.30 and $2.10. Jackson Bend returned $3.90 and $2.60, and Awesome Act paid $2.20.

Jackson Bend has finished second three times in a row in Derby preps — the Holy Bull, the Fountain of Youth and now the Wood, with two of the losses coming against Eskendereya.

"These guys have to run against Muhammad Ali," Zito said referring to Eskendereya. "That's Smokin' Joe Frazier (Jackson Bend). He won't give up."

Calvin Borel, who was aboard Zito's colt for the first time, agreed.

"The one thing about this colt is that he's gutsy," Borel said. "He's the kind of horse you want in the Derby."

If Borel remains with Jackson Bend, the jockey would be looking for a second straight Derby win following last year's stunner with 50-1 long shot Mine That Bird.

Awesome Act had a tough trip, stumbling at the start and losing a shoe. But the Gotham Stakes winner based in England finished strong under Julien Leparoux to gain third and earn $75,000 and give him $285,000 in graded stakes earnings.

"It was a great performance by the winner, but for my horse the pace was wrong," Awesome Act's trainer Jeremy Noseda said. "We'll move on to Kentucky and go from there."

Eskendereya was purchased by Zayat Stables for $250,000 at the Keeneland September sale in 2008. The name is the Arab translation for the Egyptian port city of Alexandria. Eskendereya also is defined as a flirty Alexandrian dance with a heavy veil, according to a bellydance glossary of Middle Eastern dance teminologies.

The colt won one of his first two starts before finishing ninth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile over Santa Anita's synthetic surface. Pletcher said Eskendereya had a rough trip and called the race a throw out. Now he's 3-for-3 this year and moving on to the Derby.

"We've never had a horse we knew could handle the mile-and-a-quarter and we've never had one put together a couple of preps like this one," Pletcher said. "We've had some good prep wins, but none as impressive as these two."

Sidney's Candy wins drama-filled Santa Anita Derby

ARCADIA, Calif. — Sidney's Candy led all the way in winning the Santa Anita Derby. Behind him, drama unfolded for 4-5 favorite Lookin At Lucky, whose troubled third-place finish set off the tempers of jockey Garrett Gomez, trainer Bob Baffert and his wife.

Sidney's Candy won by 4½ lengths Saturday, giving 20-year-old jockey Joe Talamo a Kentucky Derby contender a year after his mount I Want Revenge was scratched as the early favorite the morning of the race.

After bobbling at the start, Talamo took Sidney's Candy to the lead, just as they did in winning the San Vicente and San Felipe on the same synthetic surface. The colt ran 1 1-8 miles in 1:48.00 to win the West Coast's major prep for the May 1 Kentucky Derby.

Setsuko, runner-up in the Sham, rallied from last in the 10-horse field to finish second.

Lookin At Lucky was fourth much of the way before being shuffled back in the incident. He re-rallied on the inside to hit the board 1½ lengths back in third.

Afterward, Baffert blasted Gomez for what he called a "horrendous" ride.

"I cannot believe he rode him that way. It's ridiculous," the Hall of Famer said. "When I saw him on the rail, I said, 'What is he doing?"'

Gomez didn't speak to Baffert immediately after the race, but when informed of the trainer's comments, he said, "I thought I was riding a good race. We were in a perfect trip. What happened shouldn't have happened."

A stewards inquiry was posted after the race for an incident involving Lookin At Lucky, who took up near the five-sixteenths pole. He appeared to get squeezed down along the rail, forcing Gomez to stand up in the saddle.

"I almost went over his head because he (Victor Espinoza) bounced me off the fence and then my horse stuck his legs in the ground to make sure he was protecting himself," he said. "He stopped to a walk."

But there was no disqualification because the other horses involved, Who's Up and Alphie's Bet, finished behind Lookin At Lucky.

"It looked so bad in front of me," said Paul Atkinson, who was aboard Caracortado and closely trailing Gomez at the time. "I said to myself, 'He's going down, we're both going down' because there was nowhere I could go. Thank God we didn't fall."

An angry Gomez went after Espinoza, who rode Who's Up, near the scales where the riders weigh out after races. Gomez landed punches before they were separated.

"That's between me and him," Gomez said.

He said Espinoza was exacting revenge for an incident between them in a race earlier in the week. He claimed Espinoza returned to the jockeys' room and said, "I told you I'd get you." Espinoza denied making the comment.

"I understand he's angry because he's riding the favorite and he got beat," said Espinoza, who finished ninth. "It was a really tight spot and the turn is getting closer and closer. There's not enough room to be in there. I'm trying to help him out as much as I can."

Gomez said Espinoza's horse was running out of gas at that point and he should've dropped back, leaving room for Lookin At Lucky along the rail.

"I was right in behind him (Sidney's Candy) and traveling well," Gomez said. "I was just waiting to slide out. It was a matter of two or three jumps and I was going to be out of there."

But Baffert insisted Gomez never should've been in that spot.

"You can't be on the inside on this track," he said. "He took him back and he was fighting him."

Asked if he would consider replacing Gomez for the Kentucky Derby, Baffert said, "I'm not even thinking about it right now. I was just disappointed the way he rode the horse. He never gave him a chance, he never put him in a spot to win. Garrett is a smart rider. I don't know why he takes that horse back. He wants to race."

Baffert was in the saddling area to oversee his three entries in another stakes race when Espinoza walked by. "Are you trying to kill my jockey?" he said.

Baffert's wife, Jill, then lit into Espinoza, asking why he tried to unseat Gomez. Espinoza repeatedly denied any wrongdoing as she continued her rant while her husband and fans watched.

Sent off at 7-2 odds, Sidney's Candy paid $9.60, $5.40 and $3 for owner Jenny Craig, the weight loss maven who named the colt after her late husband Sid. Setsuko returned $10 and $4.80, while Lookin At Lucky paid $2.10 to show.

Caracortado was fourth, followed by Skipshot, Sham winner Alphie's Bet, Thomas Baines, Posse Power, Who's Up and Cardiff Giant.

-- Beth Harris

Evening Jewel wins Ashland to punch Oaks ticket

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Evening Jewel's connections knew their filly could get the lead. The question was whether she could keep it among a star-studded field of 3-year-old closers in the Ashland Stakes.

Co-owner Marilyn Braly hoped for the best, but braced for disappointment Saturday when Kent Desormeaux guided the horse to the lead early along the rail at Keeneland.

Those fears were unfounded, though, and Evening Jewel sustained just enough speed to edge fast-charging It's Tea Time by a neck, securing a likely trip to the Kentucky Oaks.

"We were a little concerned when she went out to the front, but she held it," said Braly of Indian Wells, Calif., who owns the horse with her husband, Tom. "She doesn't like to get anybody by her. She puts her ears out and her nose up, and away she goes."

She sure didn't give herself much margin for error, though, never leading by more than a length. The owners weren't the only nervous ones, trainer Jim Cassidy said.

"I never thought the wire was going to get there," he said.

Desormeaux said the decision to go early was dictated largely by the field, with many fillies known for closing but few considered early pacesetters.

"We elected to take the lead at the start, and I thought the competition that I wanted to make sure and have the upper hand on was right inside of me," he said. "This little filly really took off a quarter mile away from the wire. What can I say? She's my Easter Bunny."

Evening Jewel paid $12.60, $6.80 and $4.40. It's Tea Time returned $15.40 and $6.80. She Be Wild paid $3.40 to show.

The result for Cassidy was far more successful than the last time he shipped a horse from Southern California to Keeneland. Last April, April Pride came in for the Grade 3 Appalachian but kicked a stone wall in the paddock and had to be scratched.

Cassidy said Evening Jewel, one of just three horses the Bralys own, provided them a career highlight.

"It's the best win they've ever had," Cassidy said. "They're beyond happy. Tomorrow or the next day it will sink in. Right now, it's surreal."

Going in, the Grade 1 Ashland had been billed as a rematch between She Be Wild, the champion 2-year-old filly having won four of five starts last year, and Negligee — the only horse to beat her in 2009 — last October at Keeneland.

Neither horse seriously challenged this time, though. She Be Wild, losing for the second time in two starts this year, only had the lead briefly early and faded to third. Negligee was worse, finishing seventh in the eight-horse field.

"She hadn't run in a while and she needed the race," trainer Wayne Catalono said of the beaten favorite She Be Wild. "I wanted to go to the lead, but Evening Jewel had the same idea, and she just ran so hard."

The victory by the California-bred daughter of Northern Afleet out of Jewel of the Night was worth $240,000 and stamped her ticket to the April 30 Oaks at Churchill Downs. Cassidy said he's leaning toward sending her.

It's Tea Team, an 18-1 long shot going into her impressive showing, could be there, too.

"We think she's an Oaks horse," trainer Rusty Arnold said. "It would be a big jump, but we think she's that kind of horse."

-- Jeffrey McMurray

American Lion takes Illinois Derby

CICERO, Ill. — American Lion won the Illinois Derby by 2¾ lengths over Yawanna Twist on Saturday at Hawthorne Race Course to set up a run at the Kentucky Derby.

Ridden by David Romero Flores, American Lion broke in the lead and raced easily out in front until the head of the stretch, when 6-5 favorite Yawanna Twist and Edgar Prado drew even.

The two horses fought stride for stride down the stretch, until the 1-16 pole when American Lion started to push ahead.

American Lion, the second betting choice at 3-1, covered the 1 1-8 mile in 1:51.31 on a fast track.

Trainer Eoin Harty Harty confirmed the intentions of the WinStar Farm horse after the race.

"There is only one Derby and we plan on being there," Harty said. "I think we needed to get a race over the dirt and fortunately he responded well to it."

American Lion had only raced on synthetic surfaces in California before Saturday.

The last Illinois Derby winner to win the Kentucky Derby was War Emblem in 2002.

American Lion paid $8.60, $3.80 and $2.80 for winning the Grade 3 race. Yawanna Twist paid $2.80 and $2.20, while morning-line favorite Backtalk paid $3.00 to show.

Arson Squad takes Skip Away Stakes at Gulfstream

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — Gelding Arson Squad beat Wingedlie by 3¾ lengths in the $125,000 Skip Away Stakes on Saturday at Gulfstream Park to raise his career earnings over $1,000,000.

Arson Squad jockey Paco Lopez stalked the pace of the long shot before pouncing to the lead at the top of the stretch and drawing away to a win — Arson Squad's first in 18 months and the seventh of his 26-race career.

Owned by Jay Em Ess Stable and trained by Rick Dutrow, Arson Squad was the 9-5 favorite and paid $5.60 for the win in 1:55.56 for 1 3-16th miles over a fast track.

Wingedlie paid $15.60 and $7.40 at 32-1 odds, while Helsinki returned $3.80 to show.

Arson Squad's career earnings are $1,007,188

Duke of Mischief wins Oaklawn Handicap

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Duke of Mischief made his move after the three-quarter pole and bolted past Jonesboro to win the $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap by 2½ lengths Saturday.

Win Willy, who surged from sixth at the three-quarter pole, finished second, six lengths ahead of Jonesboro, who faded for third.

Duke of Mischief, with Eibar Coa aboard, ran 1 1-8 miles in 1:49.14 and paid $14.20, $6.20 and $4.20. Win Willy returned $3 and $2.80, and Jonesboro paid $5 to show.

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